Meet the WASHAA Board & Staff!

WASHAA Board of Directors

WASHAA Board - WASHAA's 3rd Annual Meeting (November 13, 2015)

Board of Directors

Robin Shapiro - Chair

Robin believes that health care advocacy in the near future will be a common skill that people have or seek to ensure that a health experience results in the best outcome possible for the patient. Robin has worked in health care-related public relations, public affairs, crisis management, marketing and advocacy work since 1988. She founded Health Advocacy Strategies and co-founded Health Perspectives Group LLC, an award-winning family of healthcare engagement and technology companies. It is through her work helping patients communicate their health care stories, goals and wishes that led her to co-found Allied Health Advocates in 2008, the first independent health advocacy company for patients wanting to hire a private advocate. Her visionary approach to engaging people in their health care led her to create companies, programs and a not-for-profit organization to ultimately support the idea of helping people with medical navigation and decision-making. Robin previously led health-related programs at Immunex Corporation and Ogilvy & Mather Public Affairs. She currently is the Board Chair of the Washington State Health Advocacy Association (WASHAA). She also serves on the Seattle University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center Board. Robin holds two bachelor degrees in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Greg Berkman - Vice Chair

Greg is currently Vice President of Harborview Capital LLC., a philanthropic family office. Greg owned a CPA Firm for many years (Berkman Burgher Purdy and Lindstrom CPAs.) before co-founding investment management firm Berkman Lindstrom Financial Planning LLC. He was also Chief Operating officer of Merriman, Inc., a wealth management firm. After leaving Merriman, he consulted with several start-up companies in the Seattle area including a medical device company. His lifelong passion for expanding the capacity of non-profits and for philanthropy has led to a wide array of board service. In addition to the WASHAA Board, he currently is serving on the board of the Seattle Public Library Foundation. Greg holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington with an emphasis in accounting.

Gina Culbert - Secretary

Gina is an attorney who practiced in law firms for more than 30 years and now maintains her own firm. She advises companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune 500, focusing primarily on intellectual property planning and disputes, including copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets. She is an experienced trial attorney and advocate, and has also handled many types of issues in the health care field. Her work as an advocate for a family member during an illness led her to WASHAA, and she is passionate about making patient advocates accessible to everyone. She has served on several non-profit Boards, and has held many leadership positions in various legal organizations. She holds a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, and a B.A. with honors from Northwestern University.

Beth Droppert, RN - Board Member

Beth is CEO of Allied Health Advocates, LLC., an advocacy company she co-founded in 2008 after a 35-year career in nursing, which began at the University of Pennsylvania hospital in direct patient care. Beth specialized in Intensive Care Nursing, working in management at the University of Washington Hospital. She moved into Clinical Research at Harborview Medical Center working as a Clinical Coordinator on several Trauma and Infectious Disease trials. She co-founded her first company in the 1980s, a clinical research site management company, called Pacific Coast Clinical Coordinators Inc., which helped companies manage clinical trials. She currently serves on the Board of the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants (NAHAC), Providence Hospice Foundation of Seattle and the Advocate Certification Steering Committee, an effort to create a national credential for those who advocate for patients. Beth holds a degree from the University of Washington, School of Nursing and a Registered Nurse Diploma from Saint Joseph's School of Nursing, Reading, PA.

John Fox - Board Member

John has been in the insurance industry since 1994. He specializes in helping people understand their options regarding Medicare coverage. He owns We Speak Medicare Spokane based in Spokane Washington but serves clients throughout Washington and North Idaho. John is an active member of Senior Action Network of Eastern Washington where volunteers give their time and resources to enhance healthy, independent and secure lives for senior citizens.

Jessica Kolstad Kim - Board Member

Jessica has worked within the nonprofit and higher education industries for many years. Jessica joined the WASHAA board in October 2014 and recently moved from Tacoma, WA to Austin, TX. She has worked extensively in many aspects of higher education and nonprofits from grants (pre- and post-award grant administration) to development, communication, social media, and website design. She currently works for the University of Texas at Austin within a large organized research unit assisting faculty and researchers with pre-award grant administration. Jessica holds a Master's degree in International Relations, Security and Development from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from California Lutheran University. ​ ​Email Jessica at Jessica.Kolstad@washaa.org.

Andrew Kreis - Board Member

Andrew is the Director of Information Systems at Pioneer Human Services. He joined the WASHAA board in June of 2013. Andrew has worked in Information Technology for over 20 years in a variety of industries and is passionate about using technology to better healthcare. Andrew also currently facilitates graduate coursework for the Biomedical and Health Information Sciences department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Andrew holds an M.Sc. in Health Informatics from the University of Illinois - Chicago and Bachelor degrees from the University of Montana in Computer Science and Mathematics.

Dale Reisner, MD - Board Member

During her career, Dale has seen family and friends be health advocates for their loved ones in a different way than the nurses or providers could be. This was particularly true for very ill patients. As we know more about potential harm related to medical care, it has become clearer to her that ideally all patients should have advocates when admitted to the hospital for both improved quality of care and safety. Her more personal interest in healthcare advocacy began in 1999 when she became her father's medical advocate after a significant medical error - if only she could have known he needed an advocate earlier in his hospitalization. Dale currently serves as the Medical Director over Obstetrics and Gynecology, Quality and Safety with Swedish Health Services, and is a past president of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA).

Michael Wood, M.S., M.P.H. - Board Member

Michael is an industry veteran consultant and entrepreneur of over 30 years in the employee/patient health improvement segment serving large employers, health plans and health care providers/systems. Michael began his 30+ year career in the trenches of public health departments, at the beginning focusing on high-risk pregnancy management, sexually transmitted disease, drug and alcohol abuse, family planning and basic nutrition; and later focusing on typical American chronic diseases and maladies. In 1983 he co-founded CareWise, developing the first commercial nurseline, which was combined with biometric testing, health risk appraisals, blood pressure control, self-care books, “wise buying of health care” education and wellness. He was also instrumental in the formation of the first health case managers association, and pioneered the development of early condition management programs.

Staff

Ashley Carlson - Staff

Ashley is WASHAA’s Head of Operations, Administration, and Technology. She started working as a WASHAA staff member in April 2017, prior to which time she served as the organization’s intern. Ashley’s appreciation for the complicated dynamics between physical and mental health led her to graduate from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, but it is her experience as a struggling patient that led her to develop an interest in health advocacy. While most of Ashley’s current work revolves around information management, her tasks have included everything from basic web design to assisting with The National Health and Patient Advocate Survey. If you ever have trouble accessing your WASHAA Account or experience some other technical difficulty, please feel free to emailAshley.